Cowboys: 10 Worst Decisions By Jerry Jones

Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports

No. 6 – Trading For Roy Williams

When Jones gets an urge to trade for a wide receiver, we know that two things will happen.

First off, the trade will happen with no concern whatsoever regarding the cost.

Second, the decision will soon show itself to be an unmitigated disaster.

Roy Williams played high school football at famed Odessa Permian High School and then starred at the University of Texas. Chosen as the seventh-overall selection by the Detroit Lions during the horrendous era of general manager Matt Millen, Williams got caught up in a never-ending wide receiver selection process in the Motor City.

Williams, standing 6’3” and weighing 215 pounds, had the look of a prototypical No. 1 wide receiver. He had been on Jones’ radar even before the owner had decided that three years with Terrell Owens was going to be enough. With Detroit superstar Calvin Johnson‘s presence as of 2007, Williams had every reason to want to leave the Lions and the Cowboys were a logical fit.

In October of 2008, a season that ended in complete disaster, Jones traded a first and third round pick for the then-fifth year veteran who had never caught more than eight touchdown passes in any season. Williams did this twice during his first two seasons in the league, but it had been downhill from there.

Williams had caught passes for over 1,000 yards just once, that coming in his third season.

Despite a six-year, $54 million contract, Williams lasted only through the disastrous 2010 campaign that ushered in the era of head coach Jason Garrett. Catching just one touchdown during his abbreviated first season in Dallas, Jones felt compelled to shell out more money to another rip-off wide receiver in Miles Austin the very next season.

Three seasons for a player that cost what Williams did is completely inexcusable. If it was only Jones’ money at risk here, nobody would care. But the watered-down and average era of the salary cap and free agency in the NFL make these kinds of gambles rather huge where competitiveness is concerned.

With no first or second-round selections in the 2009 NFL Draft, Jones would turn in arguably the worst draft in franchise history. Despite still having 12 picks in that draft, the Cowboys came away with absolutely nothing notable and there hasn’t been anyone remaining from that class for a few seasons now – it was only six years ago.

And we wonder why Dallas stormed off to three-straight seasons of 8-8 football from 2011-13?

Hardly.

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